Once were Loiners wrote:Our depth is better in a number of positions to cover injuries everywhere except halfback. What we couldn't handle is players leaving as well. Not excusing earlier performances, but right now I think the team is in far worse shape in terms of available players than some would like to admit.
Of the team vs Wigan maybe only 10 will be in the first 17 next year - Fusitu'a, Newman, Martin (somewhere), Handley, Oledzki, O'Connor, Holroyd, Lisone, McDonnell, Smith. So a completely new 1,6 and 7 and maybe a centre and another front row to come, plus Bentley, Goudemand and Sangare to add.
The problem we have to the end of the season is that 1,6 and 7 are the most important players there are. Hooley may be passable but I can't see us doing much more than compete gamely at best from now on in. The squad is busted, has nothing to play for and in some positions we're beyond reserves. I don't like Gannon or Martin in the backs, but I'm not sure what other options we really have?
Agree. We are running on fumes with no petrol station in site for the rest of the year. Painful as it was, Saturdays result was entirely predictable. It's going to be a tough watch this week and next.
Joined: Aug 15 2006 Posts: 9208 Location: NOT in "Crying Corner" on the SWMC Coach
None. Thats why throwing the baby out with the bath water at this stage of the season is daft. We are a busted team atm.
The onus now is on recruitment and/or retention. If we cant get this right this off season with all the cap we have to play with then we really do have issues. Shopping in the bargain bins just wont cut it this season.
Ill expect a "root and branch" email to come out from Darth in the next week or so to try and calm the natives as this season has been such a massive let down. It promised much and delivered nothing.
The statement the other day I read is brilliant all this talk of transition needs to end, it just wont cut it anymore and cannot be used as a scapegoat for people not doing their jobs correctly / at all and coasting off past glories that count for naught now.
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Joined: May 28 2002 Posts: 7398 Location: Isca Dumnoniorum
Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino wrote:Ill expect a "root and branch" email to come out from Darth in the next week or so to try and calm the natives as this season has been such a massive let down. It promised much and delivered nothing.
The statement the other day I read is brilliant all this talk of transition needs to end, it just wont cut it anymore and cannot be used as a scapegoat for people not doing their jobs correctly / at all and coasting off past glories that count for naught now.
We won't get a 'root and branch' email IMO, because this process already started around the time Smith was appointed. I don't think anyone ever expected instant success, even though it may have looked that way with the GF run.
Talk of a transition should not end, a) because it is realistic given the hole we are in and b) because it is an acknowledgement that while they are trying to fix things up in the short-term it is going to take more collective work over a longer period of time to get us back to the top.
That doesn't mean Leeds can't put a competitive team together for next season that have a good chance of making top 4 (or better), which was the aim this season. We need a few more astute signings and a decent pre-season.
Joined: Dec 19 2004 Posts: 24432 Location: in bed between halle berry and jennifer aniston
pre season is where we will get a good idea of how the season will go. this pre season, as others have said, was nothing short of a joke and we looked massively undercooked. hopefully next is taken much more seriously
Absolutely agree on that tad. I'd say some of the off-season stuff was fine, in terms of building team spirit etc. But Smith really did seem to treat pre season games as a bit of a mess about, which went into the early season with the short kick offs etc.
If you start the season strong you get points in the bank, which cover when the inevitable injuries/patches of poor form arise. I understand the idea of tapering to the end of the season, but if you never really get going you get what we have this year, just bumbling around mid table. Frankly in many ways we never seemed to fully recover from the shellacking at Warrington on the opening day of the season.
Joined: Aug 09 2011 Posts: 1906 Location: Deepest North Yorkshire Woodland
Once were Loiners wrote:Absolutely agree on that tad. I'd say some of the off-season stuff was fine, in terms of building team spirit etc. But Smith really did seem to treat pre season games as a bit of a mess about, which went into the early season with the short kick offs etc.
If you start the season strong you get points in the bank, which cover when the inevitable injuries/patches of poor form arise. I understand the idea of tapering to the end of the season, but if you never really get going you get what we have this year, just bumbling around mid table. Frankly in many ways we never seemed to fully recover from the shellacking at Warrington on the opening day of the season.
The Warrington game rang alarm bells with me, we weren’t up for the fight against a highly committed Warrington team. Similar against Cas we weren’t up for that game either. Also let’s not forget the game at Wakefield when we had a reasonable team on display and lost that one against a woeful Wakefield side.
Joined: Aug 15 2006 Posts: 9208 Location: NOT in "Crying Corner" on the SWMC Coach
TBF we've not been up for many games this year. There's been unrest in the camp and I think a bit of players meandering their way through the last year / months of contracts.
BELIEVE. BELIEF. BEYOND.
IT AIN'T WHERE YOUR FROM, ITS WHERE YOUR AT.
SWMC Coach's very own timekeeping aficionado & expert stair inspector.
Joined: Aug 15 2006 Posts: 9208 Location: NOT in "Crying Corner" on the SWMC Coach
tad rhino wrote:pre season is where we will get a good idea of how the season will go. this pre season, as others have said, was nothing short of a joke and we looked massively undercooked. hopefully next is taken much more seriously
Im all for experimenting a little in games but it just seemed so ridiculous some of the gimmicks were continued on for so long. That was a very sobering season opener where looked absolutely shell shocked and had nothing but daft shortcut plays blow up in our faces continuously.
BELIEVE. BELIEF. BEYOND.
IT AIN'T WHERE YOUR FROM, ITS WHERE YOUR AT.
SWMC Coach's very own timekeeping aficionado & expert stair inspector.
tigertot wrote:I agree with ESR. Individually I think there is only Wardle in that team who is a stand otu international. Possibly French if he was British & Havard if he was fit. Otherwise it is stacked with good quality SL players, not a patch on years gone by. What they have is unbelievable team spirit, a consistent side & look, as Phil Clarke mentioned, like they have been training together for a season. Huge credit must go to Matt Peet, who has done a brilliant job. Man for man, Leeds are not that much different, apart from probably stand off & FB.
What a load of crap. I suppose believing this nonsense helps you cope with just how poop your own team is. Let's see how "bang average" we are on Friday, hey?
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